Rancid

For the early story on how I came to know these guys, refer to Operation Ivy. But while Matt and Lint (Tim Armstrong now) are at the heart of Rancid, and there are certain similarities between the two bands, Rancid is a whole new thing. Nowhere is that difference more obvious than on their first single, which came out on Lookout before Rancid moved to Epitaph and became, for want of another word, huge, before, in fact very many people outside of the East Bay had even heard of them. Lars hadn’t joined the band yet either, so Rancid was a three-piece who played fast and furious straight ahead punk rock. If you didn’t discover them until their later albums (personal editorial: I think “And Out Come The Wolves” was easily the best record of 1995) , then it’s well worth checking out the early Rancid for a whole different take on the band.